Former clients of nonprofits give back through volunteering

Sunday

Debbie Willis walked into a room in the hospice wing of the OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital in Athens. Strangers packed the room, but their eyes weren’t drawn to Willis.

They were focused on Jazz, the 6-year-old goldendoodle at the end of the leash that Willis gripped in her hand.

Jazz, a trained therapy dog, went straight to work, making a beeline toward the patient’s wife. He laid his head on the woman’s lap, and she started to stroke his chocolate fur. Jazz moved from person to person, providing comfort to those he sensed needed it most.

Willis, 63, of Jackson just watched as Jazz worked his magic.

“It welled me up in tears, watching them just love on him,” Willis said. “It takes me about 45 minutes to get there. This was so worth it, if I only saw this family. Me, him, them, all of us.”

Inspired by the "wonderful" hospice care that Willis' family received three years ago for her mother, coupled with her experience as a retired paramedic, Willis began volunteering with Hospice of Central Ohio about a year ago after seeing an ad that the organization was seeking therapy dogs.

She and Jazz frequent nursing homes and other medical facilities to provide comfort to end-of-life patients and their families.

"I’m getting paid, just not in money," Willis said. "Doing this, sometimes I think I get as much as the people do, just watching. It just gives back to me 100-fold."

Many central Ohio volunteers, inspired by their own positive personal experiences, feel inspired to return to an organization they previously received services from in the capacity of being a volunteer. It offers a sense of repayment to some.

That's the case for Marilyn Dresser, 87, of Granville. Since 2006, Dresser has volunteered for Hospice of Central Ohio in myriad capacities, from being a patient companion so no one dies alone to serving at a bereavement camp for children who have lost loved ones.

"Grief is very individual, of course, and you never know what the person is feeling," Dresser said. "Unless you’ve had a significant loss in your own family, you can’t really comprehend what the other person is going through."

But Dresser wasn't immediately ready to launch into volunteering after she lost her husband in 2003 to rheumatoid arthritis and pulmonary fibrosis. He was in hospice for two weeks, and the care was an "angel of mercy" to Dresser, with nurses available "on beck and call," gently leading her through one of her most vulnerable moments.

After her husband passed, Dresser took time to overcome her own grief before stepping into a volunteer role with Hospice of Central Ohio. And though she has lost some of the energy she formerly had when she began volunteering 13 years ago, Dresser has no plans to stop anytime soon.

"I want to give back what was given to me so many years ago," Dresser said. "It’s strengthening me, just being blessed to have the ability and the health that I have to give back to the community."

At Habitat for Humanity MidOhio, the organization's structure builds a commitment to volunteer into its program services. Clients whose homes are being built are required to put in between 200 and 250 hours of "sweat equity," whether it be partnering in the construction process of their homes, completing financial literacy classes or devoting time to the organization in some other way.

Wes, 41, and Kellie Vaughn, 40, of Newark, sought out Habitat because the 1,000-square-foot apartment they had been occupying was not accessible for their daughter and son, both with disabilities.

Wes Vaughn estimates that he contributed 750 hours of sweat equity while Habitat built their home in 2010 and 2011. That was on top of working as many as 70 hours a week as a traffic security officer at John Glenn Columbus International Airport.

"I thought it was important for the other volunteers to see me there, so they'd know I was putting in my sweat equity," Wes Vaughn said.

Even after the organization dedicated their home to the Vaughns on Nov. 20, 2011, the couple still felt drawn to Habitat's mission. Wes continued volunteering on other home construction sites whenever he had pockets of time, and Kellie logged other clients' sweat equity hours into Habitat's system.

But the Vaughns were still looking for more. They turned to their close friends: Tom and Kerry Mix, both 36, a Newark couple whose story with Habitat mirrored that of the Vaughns.

In a home ill-equipped for a family with three boys with disabilities, the Mix family found Habitat for Humanity MidOhio as a way to construct the home they needed. They started work in 2014 and received the keys to their new home Jan. 23, 2015.

"We put in lots and lots of hours on our home," Kerry Mix said. "When I make a prepayment each month, I know that it's mine."

Months after moving into their new home, Tom Mix applied to be an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer with Habitat. After serving in that role for three years, he accepted a position on Habitat's staff as a repair project leader.

Mix saw it as a "great opportunity" to change his professions as a factory worker, truck driver, mechanic and vending machine builder, to name a few.

"I used to be a 'jack of all trades, master of none,' but none of them was really gratifying," Mix said. "But I could see myself retiring from Habitat. It feels like home."

Wes Vaughn followed a similar path, also serving three years with AmeriCorps VISTA. He started working full time in July as a safety manager for Habitat.

Kerry Mix continues to volunteer with Habitat, holding orientation meetings once a month at the Licking County Library in Newark that offer insights to prospective families on what they could expect if they decide to apply for a Habitat home.

"It’s pretty awesome to live somewhere, to know you put the hard work into it," Kerry Mix said. "It was very gratifying for myself, and I want someone else to have that experience, too."

klecker@dispatch.com

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